Founding Cohort · Summer 2026
Coaching students to think clearly, argue honestly, and defend what they conclude.
A one-week, in-person summer studio on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Rising 8th–10th graders investigate a real issue, take a position, get it pressure-tested, and defend it publicly.
This is a privately operated learning program. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by any public school system.
The Studio
Not a camp.
Not a tutor.
A coached studio.
Gulf Coast Innovation Learning Studio is a small, in-person summer program in the Foley / Gulf Shores / Orange Beach area. Ten students, one week, one coach — working through a real, unresolved issue the way a team works through a hard game.
Students don't sit through lectures or complete worksheets. They investigate, argue, take feedback, revise, and stand up on the last day to defend a position they built themselves — in front of parents, under real questioning.
10
Students per cohort
5
Days, in person
1
Public defense
The Thinking Model
A repeatable process. Same four steps, every session, every topic.
The topic rotates. The process doesn't. Students leave with a method they can apply to any question they meet next — in school, in life, in the room where a decision has to be made.
01Step 1Scout the Issue
Investigate before you argue.
Students dig into a real, unresolved question — what's actually going on, who's affected, what sources say what, and where the evidence disagrees. Curiosity comes before conclusions.
02Step 2Call It
Take a position — on the record.
Once they've done the work, students commit to a position. Not a hedge, not a summary. A specific, defensible claim grounded in the evidence they gathered.
03Step 3Adjust the Play
Get pressure-tested. Revise.
Peers and coach push back. Students hear disagreement, weigh it, and revise where the evidence calls for it. Changing your mind on new information isn't a weakness — it's the skill.
04Step 4Defend the Call
Present it. Answer for it.
On the final day, each student publicly presents their position to parents and answers real questions. Not a recital — a defense. It's the day the week is built for.
This Session
AI and the Future of School
The founding cohort applies the Thinking Model to how AI is reshaping the classroom. Students investigate real policy proposals, weigh trade-offs teachers and students are already facing, and build a school-AI policy they can defend under real questioning.
Students use AI in the process — for research and testing ideas — while learning to evaluate it, not just accept its output. The final work is their reasoning, not the model's.
Session at a glance
- Theme
- AI & the Future of School
- For
- Rising 8th–10th graders
- When
- Dates being finalized
- Hours
- Mon–Fri · ~9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
- Where
- Foley / Gulf Shores / Orange Beach, AL
- Capacity
- Capped at 10
- Tuition
- $350 · Founding rate
Your Coach
Damon Howe
Founder · Alabama-licensed teacher
"Real improvement isn't instant. You try something, get honest feedback, and get better through repetition — not a single lesson. I wanted to bring that same practice-and-feedback process to critical thinking itself, not just to sports."
I've spent five years teaching and nearly ten coaching. This studio is where those two worlds meet. I kept seeing the same thing in both — talented kids who struggled to think things through.
My vision for every student who comes through here: genuinely curious, evidence-based in how they reason, able to hear pushback without shutting down, open to changing their mind when the evidence calls for it, and quick to adapt when the situation shifts. That's not a personality type. It's a skill set — and it's trainable, the same way a jump shot is trainable.
Founding Rate
One offer.
One price.
Deliberately.
This is the first cohort ever run. We're building one well-crafted offer and validating it with real families — rather than guessing at tiers, packages, or discounts we haven't earned the right to price yet.
Sibling discounts, multi-session bundles, and payment plans may follow — once we've run a cohort and can price them on real data instead of assumption.
Founding Summer Studio
AI & the Future of School
$350/ student
Included
- One week of small-group, in-person coaching
- Capped at 10 students per cohort
- All instructional materials
- Final public presentation event for parents
- Direct feedback from Coach Howe on every phase
Students bring
- A laptop for research and project work
- Lunch each day
Currently in pre-launch: we're gathering interest and confirming dates before opening enrollment. Joining the list is not a commitment.
No. This is a privately operated summer learning program — not a school, and not a substitute for one. It doesn't grant academic credit or fulfill any school enrollment requirement.
No. Gulf Coast Innovation Learning Studio is independently and privately operated. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by any public school system.
No. The studio teaches a repeatable thinking process — Scout the Issue, Call It, Adjust the Play, Defend the Call. Each session applies that process to a different real-world issue. This session's topic is AI and the Future of School; future sessions may explore other topics.
Yes, as one tool among several — for research, testing ideas, and understanding its limits. Students are taught to evaluate AI, not just use it, and the final project is their own reasoning, not AI-generated work.
No. It's for curious students who want more than worksheets — regardless of how they're currently labeled in school.
Rising 8th–10th graders.
Each student needs their own laptop for research and project work, along with their own lunch each day. If access to a laptop would be a barrier, please reach out directly and we'll talk through options.
A final position or project on the session's topic, which they present and defend publicly to parents on the last day.
No. All work happens during program hours.
Somewhere in the Foley / Gulf Shores / Orange Beach area — the exact venue is being finalized.
$350 for the Founding Cohort.
Join the interest list — you'll be notified as dates, venue, and other details are confirmed.
Joining the list is not a commitment. You'll get updates as details are finalized, with no obligation to enroll.
Founding Cohort
Get your student on the list before dates open.
We're gathering parent interest before finalizing dates, venue, and enrollment. Joining the list is free, non-binding, and the only way to hear first when the founding cohort opens.
No live payment or checkout yet. We'll open enrollment once dates and venue are locked.
Include in your note
- Parent's name
- Student's name & rising grade
- Best phone or email
- Any questions
This is a privately operated learning program. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by any public school system.